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Gnoll Encampment Underground (Mission)
"We began the day at dawn. Myself, Fenric, Theodwin, Avos, and Khyrim set out to the west for the Gnoll encampment. I assisted Fenric with navigation, a role I like to think is equally as important as the navigation itself. Though I must say Fenric would have done an excellent job even without me. And then there’s Avos who successfully found us as much water as we could drink. It was like he’s drawn to it. On our trek through the woods we encountered little danger but did come across wolf tracks. We reach the plains in good time, promptly warn Avos not to eat any more mysterious food, and then hug the side of the lake towards the encampment. As we arrive at the fort we find very little about it has changed other than some further decomposition on the foes we had slain last time. A thorough search of the premises by Khyrim and his sneaky feat assure us there are no creatures hiding within. We work for several hours with the pickaxes we brought and clear the way of the rubble previously left by Throk in our last venture here (and we all know how much damage Throk can do). We went down the stone steps using a foolproof method of trap detection - throwing rocks every five feet we walk. To our dismay I am apparently a fool from which no plan can be proofed. I slid down stairs that had turned into a slope right under a magical trap that nearly turned me into a popsicle (We will remember to update the strategy to also throw rocks at the ceiling next time). Then in a very tight hallway we encountered two very small zombie gnolls, and one very large zombie gnoll that spit acid. With the assistance of my highly skilled backup we dispatched the two smaller gnolls and I landed the final blow thus finishing the fight with very little damage done to us. Other than my nearly broken arm, very sore bruised leg, and my acid burned flesh-wound where I was bitten that is. And so we moved onto our next fight through the door ahead where we once again dispatched two draconic dog-like creatures. The room contained two normal doors and an Iron Door intricately carved with depictions of varying humanoids fighting and defeating a dragon. Something banged against the other side occasionally, clearly wanting to get out. We decided that whatever was locked in there was not worth fighting. We entered the room on the right just in time to watch a Gnoll turn into some kind of draconic humanoid. It did try to kill us, and it did fail (Though three of us nearly died at separate times, especially Theodwin). Khyrim dispatched it then proceeded to hack the entire corpse into small bite sized bits that both Theodwin and Avos were to stay away from. At this point we were not in any position to enter anymore fights so we barred the left door because we did not know what dangers lied beyond it. We spent the rest of the night conversing before finally going to sleep. In the morning we awoke with a rather sunny disposition, or at least I did. Moments after readying ourselves to continue we heard a loud noise and felt a tremor. After investigating we quickly discovered that the building above the staircase to the surface, our only exit, had completely collapsed. And we were left with only two gallons of water. We attempted to excavate it only to cause a collapse that hurt me somewhat, and again nearly killed Theodwin immediatly. So our only hope was that perhaps another exit was beyond the door we barred to the left. We readied ourselves for a fight, unbarred the door, and opened it to find…… a whole lot of nothing. It seemed to be an old store room filled with broken bottles and other goods long decayed. With no doors. And so, without a hope in the world we desperately attempted to excavate the tunnel until we were either crushed by rocks, died trying to kill and eat Avos, or starved to death……. Got you! I was just pulling your leg hu-hah you should have seen your face! Though we did in fact have no way out and very little hope. We had only one option left. To release what was incarcerated behind the magic iron door. After conversing with it through knocks we learned it knew Skoranag, and that it would help us if we freed it. We found it difficult to lift the magical bar on the door, but found success in just wildly hacking away at it with a magical axe taken from the Dragon-Gnoll corpse. We finally opened the large heavy doors and out stepped something very similar to the Dragon-gnoll but blue and very large. A bipedal figure that introduced itself as Hatha. Lovely woman really she was quite grateful to us for her release, and was surprisingly hospitable. We assisted in freeing her from shackles that prevented her from using magic while she told us cryptically that she was immortal, about how she knew Skoranag when he was just a hatchling, and how everything Skoranag has done to us (Mostly Avos) to terrorize us are just things he copied from his mother who was a good friend of Hatha’s. It seemed as though she had been sealed away for several hundred years. With her magical powers regained she teleported us to a waypoint of her choice. The Skoranag’s bridge. Skoranag was less than happy about seeing some of us for the first time, and even less happy about seeing some of us again. But Hatha was clearly very powerful. The the previously clear sky turned dark and thunder rumbled at her will. Though Skoranag was reluctant he let us leave without issue as Hatha gave him no other choice. We left in a hurry. I must say Skoranag truly is as rude as I had thought. After that we simply set a course back to the last chance and made it back with no issue. Though Hatha seemed very respectable, and I did have a meeting with Skoranag that didn’t end with immediate death, I find myself somewhat regretting what we did. Sure it was that or our lives, but what if Hatha ends our lives anyway? What if we’re responsible for the destruction of hundreds of lives? I have never been in the presence of such power before. It was terrifying. And I have to wonder of it all…...is this why I am here? To release a possible terror upon the Western Isles? And if not that, then why am I here? I couldn’t answer it when Khyrim asked, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to answer it. Now I feel I must stay. If only to die for what I helped unleash." ―Fidelius Alfawyn's adventure log